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Montes, Alpha M 2015

RedChile2015

By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-01-01 · Published 2026-09-16 · Updated 2026-09-16

In one paragraphMontes Alpha M 2015 is a Bordeaux blend from Montes' Apalta district in Colchagua Valley, Chile — 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, at 14.8% ABV. Montes had its first harvest in 1987 under the name "Discover Wines" and was founded under its current name in 1988 by Aurelio Montes and partners; Alpha M launched in 1996 as Chile's first "icon wine." The 2015 vintage has 1,251 Vivino ratings averaging 4.3 (22,654 across all vintages, also 4.3), with listed critic scores of James Suckling 97 (Dec 2019) and another outlet at 95. The nose leads with oak and vanilla (1,046 mentions), followed by black fruit — blackcurrant, cassis (798). Structure: intensity 4.7/5, tannin 3.6, acidity 3.0 — a powerful, tannic full-bodied blend. The recommended drinking window is 2018–2028. I rated it 3.5 stars on 1 January 2020; the world average price is US$126 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026).

At a glance

James Suckling 97 (Vivino, logged Dec 2019) · 95 (publication not named, logged date looks like a placeholder). For reference, wine.com's 2015-vintage page lists James Suckling 97, Wine Spectator 95, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 91.

Market note: The top icon label within the Montes Alpha series. Compared to Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (label average 3.9) and Limited Selection Cabernet-Carmenère 2017, Alpha M's label-wide average runs 0.4–0.5 points higher. Listed at US$99.99 on wine.com (checked Sept 2026).

What this wine is

In 1987, Aurelio Montes and colleagues including Douglas Murray made their first harvest under the name "Discover Wines." The following year, 1988, the house was formally founded as Montes; it won its first gold medal at Vinexpo with a Sauvignon Blanc in 1990, then led varietal diversification by introducing Syrah to Chile in 1993. In 1996, Montes launched Alpha M, billing it as "Chile's first icon wine" — a direct challenge to the low-price image Chilean wine still carried in world markets at the time, staked on a premium Bordeaux blend.

Alpha M sits within the Montes Alpha series (which spans Cabernet, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, among others), built around Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot rounding out a Bordeaux-style blend. A story that it was chosen as the official dinner wine of the 2005 APEC summit in Busan appears repeatedly in Korean importer (Naracellar) press releases and the news articles that cite them, but I could not confirm it against an independent primary source — Montes' own materials or an official APEC record. I'm noting only that this is what's said, not what I could verify.

What the world says

The 2015 vintage has 1,251 Vivino ratings averaging 4.3 — matching the 22,654-rating average for the Alpha M label as a whole. Two critic scores are on file: James Suckling 97 (logged Dec 2019) and 95 from another outlet (its logged date looks like a placeholder).

The flavor keywords lead with oak, vanilla and tobacco (1,046 mentions), followed by black fruit — blackcurrant, cassis (798). Structure: intensity 4.7/5 and tannin 3.6/5, both strong, with acidity at a middling 3.0 — a classic powerful, tannic full-bodied Bordeaux-blend profile.

"Nose sour cherry, bilberry, oak, blackcurrant. Mouth red fruit, and silky tannins and very special finish. 95/100 top wine." — Vivino review, Dec 2020, 4.5 stars

"Deep purple licorice blackberry ink and vanilla. Full bodied with soft tannins, had it 3 years ago at the same place, very elegant and persistent." — Vivino review, Oct 2022, 4.5 stars

Compared to other labels in the Montes Alpha series covered in this magazine (Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 at 3.9, Limited Selection Cabernet-Carmenère 2017), Alpha M's label-wide average runs 0.4–0.5 points higher — the gap you'd expect from a premium tier.

How I drank it

1 January 2020, New Year's Day, 3.5 stars. "Vanilla, blackcurrant, cassis, leather, smoke, cream, oak, grass. Full-bodied, with a wide range of aromas and flavors and a good balance, but I'd say expect it to be exactly what Montes Alpha's premium line should be — no more. I heard it came out of the Busan APEC summit, but I don't think Bordeaux blending is really Montes' specialty. It goes down really smoothly, though." That same day I also opened a Château Mont-Pérat 2016, and gave it 3 stars.

The Vivino community average is 4.3, and the listed critic score is James Suckling 97 — both well above my 3.5. The reason for the gap is already in my own note: I acknowledged "a good balance" while still drawing a line at "exactly the premium line, no more." That's not really a complaint about flaws — it's about expectations. In front of a title like "Chile's first icon wine," a price in the low hundreds, and a 97-point score, my honest impression was that Bordeaux blending "isn't really Montes' specialty." The note about how smoothly it went down lines up with the structure data's tannin of 3.6 — present, definitely, but rounded off rather than angular.

Vivino community data

2015 vintage rating distribution (1251 ratings, average 4.3)

Most-mentioned aromas

Structure: Acidity 3.0/5 · Intensity 4.7/5 · Tannin 3.6/5 · Sweetness 1.8/5

Average by vintage (all vintages: 22654 ratings, average 4.3)

My original note (Vivino, 2020-01-01)

Frequently asked questions

Links & sources

View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher

• Vivino — wine page and community data
• Montes official — Historia
• Wine Spectator — Wine Tip: Chilean Wine Visionary Aurelio Montes
• Wine.com — Montes Alpha M 2015 product page (critic quotes)
• JoongAng Economy News — APEC dinner wine revisited: Naracellar's limited Montes Alpha M set (source of the unverified claim)